Many a times, we have come across web content writing or blog writing by others that touch our heart strings. These content writing or blog writings make us laugh till tears run down our faces, or talk to us – not talk down, not talk over, but to the inner core that constitutes who we are. We’ve wondered what makes these writings or blogs so special. And so we set out to investigate, analyse, scrutinise, deconstruct and whatever else we could think of. After a short study (well, the average internet surfer’s attention span is so fickle, we decided not to spend too long on it and waste our time and money) we’ve come to certain nearly brilliant conclusions.
1. Never ever write about your mother’s appendicitis! No, the readers are not amused or moved by anything to do with your mother. But, information on your date, or your wife’s acerbic character would find hundreds (or a handful) of sympathizers or followers.
So conclusion no. 1: Interesting information.
Extrapolation: There are blog writings out there that give you interesting titbits on interior decoration or furniture deals with pictures and sometimes a little bit of a review. Blogs that we personally found interesting in this category are designmilk and swissmiss.
2. How to get to the UID centre or information on getting a gas connection in Bangalore – that will get hundreds of followers because apparently most people still don’t know where the UID centres and gas registration centres are. At any time of the day you will find puzzled applicants standing around the previous centres with half-filled forms and desperately calling Justdial to know the nearest location of the current office (we did too!)
Conclusion no. 2: Useful information.
Extrapolation: There are hundreds of techies out there that could do with free advice and info on software, user-friendly interfaces, platforms, and whatnot. We do not even pretend to understand a quarter of the gizmos and tech talks that flood the internet. But, we did find a couple of web content writing that looked useful during our net research like Techcrunch, Mashable, and Smashing Magazine.
3. The night was jet black. There was an eerie crunching sound coming from the backyard. The mosquito door creaked a bit. We put our heads out and eeeeeekkkk….. That is our version of a gripping narrative. Not much we agree, but remember all those writers of thrillers and mysteries, and how we want to know who killed whom, what happened to X, Y and possibly Z even though we really knew from the beginning that it was C who did it?
Hence conclusion no. 3: Commanding, nay, gripping language. If it is stylish and posh, so much the better!
Extrapolation: There are any number of small businesses, stay-at-home moms, Internet startups and researchers, who get together periodically and write on subjects close to their hearts, sometimes in blog writing, sometimes in a journal form. We came across one such written in a comprehensive, but precise manner – alistapart.
4. Laurel and Hardy went up the hill, to fetch a pail of brandy. Laurel fell down and broke his crown and Hardy sat down and laughed his heart out. No, not very entertaining, is it? But, there are web content writing out there that will make you laugh till you cry, and keep you entertained like those comedy shows that come on Sony and Colors.
So conclusion no 4: Engaging and entertaining language.
Extrapolation: Some writers have the knack to make the ordinary stand out, see the funny in the not so funny, and satirize the commonplace. The ones we liked the best – The Vigil Idiot, The Thought Crime, Khamba’s Blog, Twisted DNA.
5. We like it when a blog talks to us. It is almost as if a friend is sitting by our side and telling us stuff in an intimate tone (and, by intimate we do not mean any sexual overtones). Or it could take on the notes and cadences of a conversation.
That brings us to conclusion no. 5: Tone of a blog.
Extrapolation: There are very may people who do seem to have done just this. The one blog that stands out for us is mom-trepreneur.
6. Do you, like us, feel like throwing a pillow at the blogger who wants to tell you every single thing that happened to her/him in a day? Minimize the details please! We might enjoy a description of how the India-Pakistan cricket match went if you had been a spot spectator, but we do not enjoy it when you tell us how your shoe laces were undone and you had to go get a new pair during the crucial ‘Over’. So thank you in advance for not telling us that.
Conclusion no. 6: Objective, but personal; or is it personal, but objective? You get the idea.
Extrapolation: A truly personal, but objective web content on the creative process we found during our deconstruction drive was soulofaword. Do take a look.
7. And we do not like pathos. We have the soap operas in Star Plus to contend with. If you want to pen a few words on dancing in the rain, it is fine, but may not find too many readers. Such intensely subjective subjects are usually reserved for poetry. You could always maintain an online poetry blog, if you do not mind occasional plagiarism. On a positive note, if a clueless teenager gets an A+ for an English assignment, and you were the “inspiration”, thumbs up both of you.
So conclusion no. 7: Tone down on the pathos.
Extrapolation: If you are into poetry, pathos, catharsis and the works, do check out THEthe Poetry Blog.
Before we sign off, we would like to throw in a few more things to the list:
- Compelling headline
- Original idea
- Interactive format
- Expressive pictures
- Flawless language
- Catering to difference (different people from different walks of life understand different registers)
- Clarity of thought
- Pleasant to read – humour is an added bonus
At the end to quote Twine: “We listen to the world, and talk to the Internet”. Do remember this mantra.
